The Transports Publics du Chablais (TPC) is a transportation company that operates various rail and bus services in the Chablais region, at the eastern end of Lake Geneva. It was formed in 1999 from the merger of four companies. History A precursor of the TPC was the Transports Publics du Chablais Operating Community (), which was formed in 1975 to improve coordination between various companies in the Chablais region. Three railways were involved at first: Chemin de fer Aigle-Leysin (AL) Chemin de fer Aigle-Sépey-Diablerets (ASD) Chemin de fer Bex-Villars-Bretaye (BVB) A fourth, the Chemin de fer Aigle-Ollon-Monthey-Champéry (AOM), joined in 1977. The four companies merged on 1 January 1999. The TPC has also developed its bus lines by operating several of these at the request of local authorities : Tonkin bus service (Aigle-Vionnaz-St. Gingolph), Aigle-Villeneuve bus service as part of the Réseau Express Vaudois commuter system, municipal bus service in Aigle, and the Bex-Monthey bus line in partnership with PostBus. Investment The investments are significant and constitute a major burden for some of the local communities but with the stringent management methods imposed by the 1996 Railway Reform Act, applicable to all concession transport companies, TPC is responsible for staying within the budget negotiated with the cantonal and federal authorities. However the company still continues to receive the support in recognition of the domestic and tourism value of an attractive public transport system. Key projects, taking the system into the first years of the new millennium, have involved a three-year programme, at a cost of CHF 42 million, to completely rebuild Aigle's Place de la Gare in partnership with the local authority and the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB/CFF/FFS). The project, which has seen new platforms brought into use at the main station to accommodate the AL, ASD and AOMC, adjacent to those of the SBB/CFF/FFS, also included the construction of AOMC track alongside CFF track towards the new Transports Publics du Chablais depot and workshops at En Châlex. A special ceremony was held on Saturday, 6 October 2007 to mark the completion of the work. With approximately 3 million passengers using its facilities each year Aigle is the second most important station in Vaud after Lausanne. (Source : Le bleu matin, 8.10.2007). On 27 August 2007 it was announced that major works, involving extensive, temporary, closures requiring trains service replaced by buses, would take place over the winter months involving